Veteran journalist detained, websites shut down in China

New York,
August 2, 2013--Chinese authorities should release a veteran journalist and
government critic being held without charge and reverse their orders to shut
down more than 100 websites, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

State security
agents detained Xiao Shu in Beijing early today, according to local and international news reports. The
accounts said Xiao's friends have been unable to contact him since he was taken
into custody. Authorities have not disclosed where Xiao is being held or any
charges against him.

Xiao, whose
real name is Chen Min, has written for several news outlets known for their
criticism of the government. Hong Kong's South
China Morning Post reported that Xiao had been targeted because of his support
for a petition demanding the release of a dissident colleague, with whom he had
collaborated in a grassroots campaign for more government transparency.

Xiao's
detention comes two days after the Beijing Newsreported that more than 100 private websites had been shut down since
May 9. Several of the sites covered general news, or acted as news portals for
citizen journalists. China's online and social media sites are important
sources of news and serve as an alternative to government-censored news
sources.

The Beijing
News report cited the government as saying that some of the sites were not
permitted to operate, while others had been blackmailing companies or
individuals by threatening to publish negative information about them. The
government has not yet released any evidence to back up its allegations.

"The detention
of Xiao Shu and the closure of so many websites are part of a broader crackdown
on critics of the government in China. We are not aware of any charges being
brought against Xiao, nor has the State Internet Information Office released
evidence that the websites engaged in illegal behavior," said Bob Dietz, CPJ's
Asia program coordinator. "We urge President Xi Jinping's government to
recognize the importance of independent journalists and news outlets as part of
the reform process it promised when it came into office."